


Little Did He Know

by WingMoon



Series: Weight of Living [1]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Green Lantern - All Media Types, Guardians of the Galaxy - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, BAMF Rhodey, Disabled Character of Color, Gen, Hinting towards a Crossover, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Panic Attacks, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Racism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 10:59:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11530806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WingMoon/pseuds/WingMoon
Summary: The last thing Rhodey expected that day was have an hallucination of two purple men. One of them in gold armor and the other with an green hourglass sign in the middle of its chest. It also didn't help that Rhodey was consumed with nightmares of his late friend dying and Peter just showed up  saying that Tony had called him about some 'kind of emergency’.





	Little Did He Know

_The sky flashed a green light and the business street was starting to quiet down. James pulled the jacket closer to his body as the chill day of Philadelphia was settling into his bones. He just left John’s house and he knew that his father was about to come home. A smile formed on his lips as he tried to hurry back. James was hoping to get into MIT with John so he could have his best friend with him. However, John told James that he was going to work nearby, even though, John got his letter first. John did not even open it as the letter was sitting on the table next to the window._

_“Like they going to let two black kid into that fancy white school,” John grumbled as he took his glasses as he wiped with his shirt._

_John was looking slimmer than usual. He dorky larger square glasses sitting back on his face made his round face even smaller. He was not as tall James just a few inches difference, but James still made fun of John for it. For being friends since they were children James could trust John with everything, but sometimes James felt like an island._

_Just like today, it was supposed to be a good day for them. They could be making history. If only John could take a little courage and open the letter._

_“Maybe,” James said as he let the rest of words he wanted to say sit in the back of mind._

_Instead, James grabbed the wire that he found from their daily dumpster drive and plugged it into the wall. He heard John hold he breathe as the screen of the computer flickered on. James could hear the roaring of angry rain cloud outside as other green light flashed outside. James' eyes left the computer as it flickered outside for a second to see something in the distance that looked like a plane crash. Before either of them could say anything, the computer shut down and then a second later all the power went out again. Knowing what likely would happen next James felt for his bag on the ground. John let out a sigh as he reached to hand James the flashlight they kept handy for the situation ending like this. James already having a mind map of John’s room headed for the window._

_As James pulled the window open he turn his head towards, “Maybe you right MIT would not want two unsupervised kids running around take the light out. Tell your imaginative girlfriend, hi from me.”_

_“She is real! I just…”_

_“I know…” James said as strange silence fell over them._

_He let a laughter out as he got out of the house. Before he could get a few steps away something hit his head. Opening his mouth to yell at John he saw John hold three fingers up to the sky._

_“Still have plans to fly away and leave this alien world behind.”_

_James let his hands in the same sign as he said back, “To conjure the world for us fly freely!”_

_Both of them laughter filled the space between them as they said together, “No one can break my wings!”_

_Another flash of green light covered the sky before James heard himself say._

_“Target his thruster, turn him into a glider.”_

_The words left his mouth but he wanted to take it back as he felt like the ground underneath him pull him down. It would have been okay if only John was not hit too as they both fell down together. James tried to catch his friend as his fingers only seconds away from grasping only to slip away as the darkness engulfed them._

 

 

 

 

 

“Colonel I think you did enough.”

Rhodey grunt toward the A.I. as knew that he was pushing his leg to the limit. However, the dream of John or the cruel flashback woke him up in the middle of the night screaming for hours. As Tony tried his best to calm down Rhodey. Yet, Rhodey knew it was futile. Since Rhodey had these… definitely nightmares he knew it was a bad sign. He only dreams about John when something dramatic was about to happen. He had one when Tony went missing in Afghanistan and it stopped for a while. Only to come back when Rhodey was already feeling his lowest. He knew he should tell Tony what was going on, but for not the first time Rhodey wished he did not take Tony’s offer to stay with him. When these nightmares came Rhodey could handle them himself. He never wanted Tony to find him in this position. The nightmare had not come back in a while but ever since the incident that left him like this his mind has been torturing him none stop. He didn’t want to bother Tony as he could hear his best friend in the next room fighting his own demons. Tony didn’t need to know about Rhodey’s demons. So when Tony and Vision left with Ross that morning to some about some strange force in the environment  Rhodey went straight to work his legs out.

The same legs that started to wobble stirring Rhodey out his thoughts as he eased himself to ground. The rail felt cold against his head as tried to calm his breathing. 

“Colonel, should I call Boss? Vision?”

“No” as Rhodey reached out to grab the handle of rail and pull himself up.

He can reach the wheelchair. It is not that far away. It is only a foot away if he is judging right. If only could get his stupid feet to move.

Only to see in the corner his eye a plane crash from outside the window. Rhodey mouth hanged out as the crash sent sand flying towards him. The windows broke as glasses fall everywhere. The room was slowly become filled with sand.

 “What the fu---F.R.I.D.A.Y.!”

Rhodey let out as he felt his whole body was dragged down by sand. As Rhodey felt the sand drag him down he saw someone come out of the plane….or spaceship.  A purple man with an hourglass symbol wearing green jumpsuit came out holding its hand out to Rhodey.

“James…” it said before they both heard another crash to their side.

Landing on the other side of the compound as the sand had already spread out there too was another spaceship?

As a man with copper hair and long brown jacket came out to meet a man with blackish white hair. The blackish white hair man wore a blue robe thing with a red cape. The copper man held out his hand as another crash was heard. This time all men looked up to see a different purple man with golden armor as he reached down towards them.

“What the hell?”

Rhodey before everything went to shit as the bright light flashed around Rhodey and all of it engulfed by a green light. He put his arms up to protect his face, but when he opened his eyes he was facing the solid ground of the compound.  His body was trembling as he looked around him as there was no sand, no purple men or spaceship. He heard F.R.I.D.A.Y. calling out to him, but something was seriously wrong him. He knew he was having a panic attack as he tried to breathe in and out. He needed to focus. First, he needs to get his wheelchair and then he might need to call Tony. 

However, his whole body felt someone tied stones to them as Rhodey just stayed on the floor. He mumbled something to the ground as he hoped was a sign to A.I. to call Tony because he knew he was not getting off the floor without help.

A few minutes later as Rhodey finally was about to push himself up he when heard footsteps. He was pretty sure it was Tony but was surprised when it was not him.

“Mr. Rhodes.”

He didn’t remember calling the kid but he saw the wore-out sneakers. He felt Peter’s arm under him as they both got Rhodey back into the wheelchair.

A silence spread between the two as Rhodey sat in the chair trying to remember how to breathe. While Peter played with a piece of his black piece shirt as he sent a worry glance between Rhodey and the ceiling. Rhodey wishes he could comfort the kid, but instead he told F.R.I.D.A.Y. to leave a message for  Tony to come back as soon. He did not want to leave too much information because he did not really know what going on himself.

Only his whole body was trying to tell him something.

The other more tangible reason could be that 49 years of fighting the demons have finally caught up him. He was literally going to drown him in it. If only his legs did not feel like two sandbags so willingly to bring down.

However, none of that matter. Right now all that matter was getting some water that probably helps the hallucinations. He wheeled around as he heard Peter follow behind him.

“Um, Mr. Rhodes? Are you okay?”

No, was the right answer.

They both got to the kitchen fast enough lucky as the brutal of this training was catching up to him.

He grabbed a water bottle out of the refrigerator and a Coke for Peter. Peter took this opportunity to push Rhodey to the nearest couch. Rhodey drank the water bottle as he watched Peter look around the collection of DVDs to put something. He knew what Peter was looking for because the last time Peter was here they both had somehow end watching Star War: The Force Awakens.

Even though Rhodey questioned the way Tony keep recruiting misfits and bring them into his life. Peter grew the fastest on him. Peter bounced back to couch as he sat down next to him with the remote in his hand. Rhodey stared at the screen as Peter yammer on about something about the movie. As  Rhodey mind…

 

_James stared at the kid in front of him and as he gestured to the mess in front him._

_“What. The. Hell. Stark!”_

_Brown eyes that stared at him with so much happiness as the kid was yammering on about some project. However, his eyes dulled a little bit as he stopped talking as the kid realize bitterness in James' tone._

_“I told you to call me, Anthony or the very least Tony.”_

_“What?”_

_Instead of the happiness or little hint sadness that was there a minute ago his eye held a cold expression._

_“Well, if we to going to have any kind of relationship. We should use our names, right? Not our old men name?”_

_James opened his mouth but he saw a teacher approach them glaring holes into Jame’s head. He didn’t want to be bothered to hear what the teacher had to say. He turns to the kid as he gave one glance up and down._

_“We do not need to know each other, Stark. We never meet again.”_

_The kid shoulder dropped down at that as the teacher reached them. The teacher nudged between the two as the teacher’s attention was fully given to James._

_“Is there a problem, Mr. Stark?” the teacher said as the teacher took this time to look Rhodey up and down with a poorly disguised look of disgust. Or maybe James was getting better at figuring out how much he was not really welcome here._

_He had to give to the kid, the kid looked confused. James answered as he started to walk away. He heard the teacher say something behind him but he ignored it._

_He really had it with this ridiculous school and he missed John. He just needs to last two more days. Then he could head back home and be with people who cared about him._

_He did not need friends. He had enough of those at home. He only came to this school for one thing._

_It was not like he ever sees that kid again._

“Mr. Rhodes?”

Rhodey snapped back to attention as hoped a reassuring smile formed on his lips.

He hoped he draws attention away from him as he asked, “I’m fine, Peter. What are you doing here?”

Peter tilted his head as he seemed he wanted to say something only to change it mild thought.

“Mr. Stark called saying there was ‘some kind of emergency’.”

As if some kind weird cue before Rhodey could ask ‘what kind of emergency?’  the ground around them rumble. Instinct kicked in before as Rhodey pushed himself forward to cover Peter as the kid shrink underneath him. Rhodey was hoping that this was another strange hallucinations.

“It’s going to be okay, Peter. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

Peter didn’t say anything as he just mumbled under his breath. Rhodey didn’t have to say anything as he felt the roof be torn apart as a he turns his head to see what was going on. He saw a glimpse of purple with gold as it seems like hallucination was turning into reality as everything went into overdrive.

He heard footsteps behind the couch before a battle cried was heard. A blue lady jumped over the two as she swiped away and the purple man with golden armor stood in from the coupons. The purple man did even flinch as he walked over the blue lady and reached out towards the two on the couch. The ground then swallowed both Rhodey and Peter as they crashed down into Tony’s workshop.

Rhodey held Peter tighter as the workshop became a battle scene. As new people started appearing attacking the purple man. The purple man just throws whatever threat came without lifting his hand. Rhodey immediately looked for something to attack with as his eyes landed on Steve’s shield next to him.

He just grabbed it as Asian chubby man appeared in the corner of his eye yelled, “Don’t let him get the Eye, Strange!”

Rhodey mind was going a mile a second as the purple man was now holding onto the same blackish white hair man from before by the throat. The purple man just pushed his arm into the man chest as he pulled a green light.

Rhodey’s fight or flight kicked in as he just let his body go through motions. He pushed Peter back as he threw the shield toward the hand that held the green light. As the purple man surprising for everyone there let go of both the man and the green light. Rhodey was reaching for the man before his head hit the ground. Only instead to grab the green light instead of as Rhodey eyes were blinded by a green light.

Rhodey let a scream as his whole body felt like it was on fire as he fell back. The last thing he remembered before he blacked out was a blending of hearing Peter scream his name and seeing the other purple man with green hourglass call out to him.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope the summary was okay as I did know what I should add or leave out. I had already written half the other part of this series only to reread and not like where it was going. I keep rewriting this. So I end up really liking the way I started this series. I just end up putting this part up and hopefully, I can figure out the rest. I hope you like it please tell me what you think and sorry for any glaring mistakes. I tried to find them as I go.


End file.
